Make sure your resume is the diamond in the rough

A candidate of mine was struggling to find work, so I compiled a list of tips I have found useful, as well as my own experience when searching for candidates as well as when applying for roles myself …and some hints from the web too! Hopefully it helps someone secure a role they really deserve.

1. Stay Relevant: You do not need to necessarily keep your resume to one page, but you also don’t need it to be ten pages. You need your resume to make sense with regards to the job you are applying for. There is no point in adding information that won’t help you land the interview. As well, keep in mind, sending out more applications will not increase your chances of getting hired. Sending out better applications will.

2. Make it easy for the employer:. My resume has Marketing, Events and Recruitment experience all over it – however I had 3 different resume’s depending on what role I was applying for. My experience never changed, I still listed all three areas, but the skills and what my resume focussed on was altered depending on which role I was applying for. For example, even my header/blurb would read “A driven Recruitment and sales focussed consultant with marketing and recruitment events experience” or “A track record for delivering talked about above target events, whilst getting to recruit the team I worked with” – both are true, but they both slightly change depending on which sector I’m applying for.

3. Support Your Skills With Facts: Employers reviewing your resume would want to know who you know that can help them succeed, or who you’ve worked for previously that can indicate what kind of experience you’ve had, without you needing to sell yourself to them. What companies have you worked for that are relevant to them? A company hires people to fill a demand. You fill that demand based on how your past experiences match their current pains. Find that and reiterate it in your resume with facts and figures.

4. Be searchable not just do the searching: Upload your resume to the job websites. When employers have a niche role they are trying to recruit for, they post jobs but they also look for people themselves, so make your resume searchable by creating an account on SEEK, Jobseeker etc. If you do this, it is more important than ever to have really relevant key words and clear precise experience on your resume, as the employer will only be able to search by certain key words, make sure you come up in those relevant to the role’s you want and have the experience in.

5. Tell them what they want to know: The employer is going to review and assess the following on your resume: Amount of time you have worked at each employer/How your career shows transitions and growth / How clear you are at identifying your career path / Your education and your actual experience

6. Make sure there aren’t any errors: It seems so simple but it still happens & for some people it’s a bug bear. Some people will let you off, grammatical and spelling errors in your resume. Have a million and five people read your resume to ensure there are no errors? One mistake and all you have worked for to get your next career could go out the window – if you get someone who takes attention to detail very seriously. (I don’t, I like to give the benefit of the doubt, but I’ve heard people in previous jobs get worried when applicants mix their there and they’re up!)

7. Give them a call to check in: Not many people call these days, there’s the odd time when applications get missed, so it’s good to check they received it, but calling a couple of days after your application (I’d say 3 – 5) shows you’re keen on that specific role as well as proactive too.

If all else fails, just remember;

Applying is a numbers game, do all you can to increase your odds.
Some recruiters don’t look at all applications if they’ve filled the role (so be one of the first to apply if possible) so don’t be disheartened.
Perseverance doesn’t fail – Fact.